17 September 2013
Krakow bid farewell to Sławomir Mrożek

On Tuesday, the 17th of September, Krakow bid farewell to outstanding writer, playwright and graphic artist, Sławomir Mrożek. After a funeral service conducted by Krakow Metropolitan Bishop, Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, the urn with the writer’s ashes was buried in National Pnatheon at St. Peter and Paul Church. Sławomir Mrożek was honoured posthumously with Krzyż Wielki Orderu Odrodzenia Polski [Grand Cross of Order of Polonia Resitua].

Until noon, residents of Krakow could bid farewell to Sławomir Mrożek at the Barbican, where the urn and a condolence book were placed. At 12.30 p.m., the urn was taken by a horse-drawn hearse from the Barbican through St. Florian’s Gate to St. Peter and Paul Church (ul. Grodzka). In his funeral rites, the playwright was accompanied by his family, among others by his widowed wife, Susana Osorio-Mrożek, as well as by representatives of the Wydawnictwo Literackie publishing house, Wera Michalski-Hoffmann and Anna Zaremba-Michalska with her husband Mirosław. At 1.00 p.m., Krakow Metropolitan Bishop, Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, conducted a funeral service.

The funeral mass at St. Peter and Paul Church was attended by Sławomir Mrożek’s family, friends, co-workers, as well as by representatives of state and local authorities including, among others, Bogdan Zdrojewski, Minister of Culture and National Heritage, Jacek Majchrowski, the Mayor of Krakow, Jerzy Miller, the Governor of the Malopolska province, Jacek Michałowski, Chief of the President’s Chancellery; Vera Michalski-Hoffman, President of the Supervisory Board of Wydawnictwo Literackie; and artists, including Jerzy Stuhr and Olgierd Łukaszewicz. “Sławomir Mrożek chose to be a Krakow person, he made that choice repeatedly,” – the Mayor of Krakow, Jacek Majchrowski, emphasized. “Today, with grief in our hearts, we bid farewell to him, but at the same time he finds his place in the National Pantheon, a place where future generations will be able to pay tribute to him.” Jerzy Stuhr emphasized that with Mrożek’s departure, a certain age has come to an and, an age of aesthetics he had shaped. “We owe him so much,” the actor said. “We learned from him throughout our entire lives. Thanks to him, we became theatrical artists.” Olgierd Łukaszewicz spoke on behalf of Polish performing artists “No one had such a strong influence on the way we think and perceive the world as Sławomir Mrożek”.

The urn was buried at the National Pantheon, which is a burial site for the greatest Polish representatives of literature, art, culture and science. According to a decision taken by the Mayor of Krakow, Jacek Majchrowski, the sarcophagus, in which the urn was placed, was financed from the resources of Krakow Municipality.

The crypt in which Sławomir Mrożek’s ashes were buried was available to the residents of Krakow immediately after the funeral service until 6.30 p.m. and will be still available on other days within the church's sightseeing hours. Please, do not bring flowers or lights.